Electric transporting device.



H. GHADENWITZ, W. VOLLBRECHT & H. LEVZOW.

ELECTRIC TRANSPOHTFNG DEVICE.

THE WLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH ci, WASHINGTON, D. c.

.H. GRADENWITZ, W. VOLLBRECHT & H. LEVZOW. l ELECTRIC TRANSPQRTING DEVICE.

APPLXCATIONHLED JULY 25. 191i. 1,175,435. Patented Mar. 14, A1916.

iinirnn stares rarnisir aonirica HERMANN GRADEN WITZ, WILHELIVLVULLCBREHT, AND HANS LEVZOW, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO THE FIRM OF ELEKTROIVIOTOREN-WERKE HERIANN ennnnitwrrz, or interna,y GER-MANY;

i ELECTRIC TRANSPORTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1d, 1916.

'Application aiefi :niiy 25, 1911. serial No. 640,517.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we,`HERMANN wrrz, WILHELM VoLLisnnoHT, yand HANS Lnvzow, citizens of the German Empire, and residents ofBerlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric 'Transporting Devices, of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in electric transporting devices and is intended primarily for traveling cranes and telpherage systems. And they main object of the improvements isy to provide means for con` trolling from a distance an electric' motor or a plurality of electric motors located on or suspended from a crane or from a car or trolley movable on an overhead track.

The invention is especially adapted `for use in telpherage systems wherein a car pro- -vided with means for hoisting material such as coal or sand or ore from the groundfor from the bottom of a shiptransfersthe material from one point to` the other in orderto discharge it and be returned to the stai-ting point or move on to someother point of the track. The invention.,` however, is applicable to the trolleys ofcranes as well as to any other hoisting device.`

rlihe invention comprises the means for controlling from a distance the electricV motors operating said grab or grab bucket. The invention may advantageously be used in connection with the system for con-y trolling from a distance the-electric motors of a car or trolley on an overhead track as described in our Patent No. 1,039,272, of September 24th, 1912. y

1n the drawings, forming part of this specification we have shown two examples embodying our invention as applied to a telpherage system controlled from a distance as described lin our patent cited above.

Figure 1 shows inl a diagrammatical way the connections for controlling and operating a grab suspended from a trolley by means of a single motor. In Fig.f2weha.ve shown in a diagramm atical way the connections for controlling and operating a grab by means of two separate moto-rs. n F ig. 3 we have shown a detail illustration yof the worm shaft in Fig. 1 and the manner of controlling the electric circuit thereby.`

Referring to the example illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings,y 1 is the overhead GRADEN- track, 2 the line wire, 3 the trolley, 4 the driving motor, 5 the hoisting motor, B a winch driven by said motor. At those points where it is desired to control the motors, a dead section 2 is insulated from the line wire and an auxiliary circuit 7 is branched off from the live and the dead section of the line wire, this branch leading to astarting switch 8, more fully described in the aforesaid patent. Between the trolley 3 and the motors 4t and 5 a switch drum 'to the part 11 of the switch drum by means of a connecting rod 15 in such a manner that the core in rising against the force of the spring 14a imparts to the part 11 a short c. c

angular movementand upon returning to its initial or normal position turns the part 11 back again.

The member 11 of the switch drum car- `ries a contact plate 11iL for controlling the solenoid 13; the 'part 12 carries the contacts for controlling the motors. The two members 11 and 12 ofthe switch drum are pressed against each other by a spring 16 and are connected by means of a claw coupling 17 in such a manner, that member 11, as the core of the solenoid rises, will en gage member 12 and turn it in the same direction, whereas upon its return movement member 11 will slide past member 12. The claw coupling has as many steps as there are groups of contacts on drum 12,` corresponding to as many controlling positions of the switch drum. All these features are more fully described in our above patent, So that their description may safely be omitted here without impairing the clearnessof the description of the apparatus.

ln the examples shown in the drawings six steps are provided, corresponding to two rail 39 to According to our invention an automatic grab or grab bucket 21 is suspended froml the winch B by `means of a rope a cable or chain 23, and l shall use in the annexed claims the term. cable as broadly compriswith their ends fastened to the laterai edges of the grab. rlhe cable 23 beingfastened to the pivot of the grab, on being drawn upward tends to close and liftvthe grab, while cable tends to spread the jaws of the grab apart. The winches A and B are operated from a single electroniotor, e. the hoisting motor 5, by means of two separate worm gears 24 and 33, worm 24gearing with winch drum A and worin 33 gearing with winch drum B. The worms 24 are 33 are loose on the motor shaft 25, and they can be coupled with said shaft by means of vfriction clutches 26 and 27 respectively. The

clutches 26r and 27 are operatively'connected Y with the cores of two solenoids 28 and 29. l/Vorm 33 is provided with an externally screw-tireaded cylinder 34 carrying a nut 35 shown in detail in Fig. 31A; to the worm24 a pin 36 is secured which extends along the cylinder 34 and` through a perforation in said nut. A circumferential groove 37 is formed on nut 35. leverA 38 of a switch 39 is arranged, the free end of said switch lever engaging .in the groove 37 of nut35.

. The way of operating and controlling thc Vgrab from a distance is as follows: if it be supposed that the grab is in its uppermost position and is charged with material, in

order to lower it and to discharge the inaterial, part 12 of the switch drum is first rotated by ineansof the starting switch 8, the solenoid 13 andpart 11 of the switch drum into the position shown in 1Y of the drawings. rthereby the following circuit is made: frein brush 45 to Contact 46, brush 47, motor 5, brush 48, contacts 49, 50, brush 51 and wire 52. At 53 the circuit is divided in two branches, one branch 54 leading to the solenoid 28; after passing the solenoid the circuit is again divided intwo branches at 55, one branch leading through wire 56 to brush 57, contacts 58, 59, brush 60 and to the track rail or to the ground; the other branch leading from point 5,5 through wire 61 to contact 62, the lever 38 and contact the track rail or to the ground. solenoid 28 attracts its core and thel clutch 26 is thereby operated to couple the worm 24 to the motor shaft 25. At the same vtime the current has been flowing from branch point 53, through wire 63, to sole- Therefore -noid 29, and after passing the solenoidwinding it flows through wire 64, contact 65, wire Gpposite said. nut f the 66, brush 67, contacts 68 and 59 and brush 60 to the track rail or to the ground. rlhe lsolenoid 29 is therefore excited simultanef ously `with solenoid 28, its core operating clutch 27 to couple the worm 33 to the motor shaft.v The motor is now started by turning the handle of switch 8, and both Winches are uniformly driven in the same direction, thereby allowing the hoisting rope 23 and the discharging rope 22 to unwind and grab to be lowered. By switching the handle off again the `grab is stopped in the desired position abo-ve the place of discharge.v .ln order to cause the scoops of the grab vto spread apart and to discharge the material, part 12 of the switch drum is rotated one step farther by means of starting switch 8. circuit is now as follows:` from brush 45, to contact 69, and through brush 48 and motor 5 to brush 47', through contactsvTO and 71 to brush 51, through wire 52 to point throughV wire 63, solenoid 29, wire 64, contact 65, wire 66 onto brush 67. rlhe circuit being broken at 74 and v67, the solenoid 29 is not excited. On the other hand the current lflows from point 53 through wire 54, solebe caused to rotate and to wind `up the dis-V charge rope 22. lThe scoopsof thegrab are spread (as shown in dotted lines) andthe material is allowed to fall to the ground.

vWhile the worin 24 of the discharging winch is thus rotating, the worm 33 not being coupled to the Inotor shaftV is at rest. The .pin 36 extending from the worm 24 and through a perforation ofnut 35 now causes the nut to turn on the threaded cylinder 34 fastened to worm 33, the nut being thereby displaced longitudinally of shaft 25 and at the saine time turning the switch lever 38 from its initial position onto contact 74 (as shown in dotted lines). The circuit is'now closed from point 65, over contact 74, lever 38, and contact rail 39 toy ground, and the solenoid 29 being now excited attracts its core, thereby coupling worrn 33 to the motor shaft and The i causing the hoistingvwinch B to wind. up the hoisting, rope 23, both ropes being now wound up at the same speed. The grab is lifted with its jaws spread apart; by turning the handle of switch 8, the switch drinn Y 1n this position of the drum the circuit is as follows: from brush through contact 75, brush 47, motor 5, brush 48, contacts 76, 77, brush 51, wire 52, and to ypoint 53. From this point the current flows through wire 54, solenoid 28, point 55, wire 61, ontocontact and on `the other hand through wire 56, brush 57, contacts 78, 79 and brush 60 onto the track rail or to the ground. The current further flows from through wire 63, sole noid 29, wire 64, point and contact 74, and switch lever 88 (said lever still occupying the position shown in dotted lines)` to the ground. At the saineftiine thejcircuit runs from point 65, through wire 66, to brush 67, the circuit being broken at this point. Both solenoids being thus excited, the hoisting winch as well as the` discharge winch will unwind their ropes at the saine speed.

As soon as the open ,grabhas cometo rest upon the material to be transported, the motor is switched off and the drum 12 is rof tated one step farther. 1n this position of the drum the circuit is as follows: from brush 45, over Contact 80, brush 48, motor 5, brush 47, contacts 81, 82, brush 51, wire 52, to point 53; from here through wirer 54, solenoid 28, point 55, wire 61, to contact62; on the other hand from point 55, through wire 56, to brush 57, where the circuit is broken. From point 53 the current further flowsy through wire 63, solenoid 28, `wire 64, contacts 65, 74, switch lever 38 (still in dotted position), and to the ground.` At the same time the current flows from point 65, through wire 66, brush 67, contacts 83, 84, and brush 66, to the track railior to the ground. On starting the motorthe hoist-` ing winch l will alone be rotated, the circuit of solenoid 28 being broken and the worm 24 not being coupled with the motor shaft. By winding up the hoisting rope the grab is slowly closed, whereby it scoops up material. After a certain number of turns of winch B the grab is ycompletely closed and it is now lifted. ln order to prevent the discharge rope from getting slack, the winch A should now be rotated in the same direction. This is effected automatically by means of the nut 35, ywhich has in the n eautime been shifted from the position shown in dotted lines into its initial position, so thatr the switch lever 38 is likewise inits initial position. The return movementV of the nut is caused by the pin 36, which is at rest, while the threaded cylinder 34 is rotating together with the worm 33. In this position of leifcr 38 the solenoid 28 is again connect ed to the ground and theclutch 26 is there fore moved into coupling position. lloth Winches are again rotating/together and the ropes are wound up at thesame speed. The drum may now be switched on to the posi.- tion indicated traveling forward and the driving motor be started in order to trans-` and a discharge winch driven by separater'is motors to operate the motor brakes. The worm gears are fast upon the motor shafts and an electromagnetic clutch is inserted between themr in order to couple both shafts wheni over the Winches are to operate together and at even speed. The threaded shaft and nut as well as the shaft carrying the pin for shifting the nut on its shaft are placed alongside of the motor shafts and are driven by them through toothed gear wheels. With this modification of the invention the grab is operated follows: lf it be supposed? that the grab is charged with material and hangs in itsV uppermost position close to the car, and itis desired to lower it, both ropes must be unwound and lowered and the winches must be rotated in unison. This is effected by causing the switch drum 12 to' assume the position shown in the drawing.. The circuit is now as follows: The current flows from the starting switch 8 throughV rfroinibrush 106, through ring contact 156,.

contact 161, brush 162, wire 163, solenoid 164, spreading rope motor 165, wire 166,r brush 167, contacts 168, 169, brush 200, wire 170, contact c, Vswitch lever 171, wire 172, winding 173 of the electromagnetic clutch A, wire 174,V brush 175, contacts 176., 159,

brush 160, to the rail or to the ground. As soon as the current has been switched. on.. both motors will be started and will unwind The solenoids 154, 164) only servethe hoisting rope 25% as well as the spreading will attract its core B. which is loose on shaft c of worm 33. against the force of a spring f. The core B being secured against f rotation on shaft c by a` key g, both shafts are coupled with each other and the Winches l and l1 will rotate at equal speed, the ropes being unwound at the saine rate. The charged grab descends and may be stopped at the desired distance above ground by cutting oif the current.

ln order now to discharge the grab and toli'lt it again, the switch drum is rotated one step into the next following position (discharging and lifting). ln this position of the drum the current flows from finger 106 through ring contact 150, contact 177, brush 167, wire 166.motor 165, solenoid 164, wire 163, brush 162, contacts 178, 156, brush 160, to the track rail or to the ground.

grou-nd.

Motor 165 alone being started in inverse direction, winch 1 will wind up the spreading rope 22 and thefjaws of the grab will be spread apart, letting the charge fall to the n 1n order, now, to provide for an automatic starting vof the lhoisting rope motor,

a Ytoothed wheel z' on shaft le, of winch 1 meshes with a toothed wheel 7c on a threaded shaft 34 mounted in bearings 0. A. nut 35 located yon, said shaft 34 is prevented from rotating ywith'said shaft by a Vpin 36 which` is fastened toa shaft 37.

to vthe track railor to the ground. The, motor 155 of the hoisting winch is started running in bearings p, said pin protruding 'i into a perforation formed inV said nut. The

rotation of motor 165 and shaft t is transmitted to the threaded shaft 34'; the nut being prevented from participating in this rotation is shifted in a direction parallel to the axis of shaft 34 and in being so shifted turns the vswitch lever 171 from its original position (shown in full lines) into the position shown in dotted lines. rTherein the inverse vdirection at that moment, when the switch lever 171 has been turnedV on contact Z .by means of nut 35. The hoisting rope winch 11 is now likewise rotated, so as to wind up the hoisting'rope.

rllhe movement of the nutV 35 onits screw threaded shaft 34 is finished when the shaft 37, which is coupled to the worm 33 Vof the hoisting'winch shaft by means of gear wheels Zand m and which carries the pin 36, beginsrotating; for nowA the pin 36 rotates aroundk the screw threaded shaft 34', so that it does not prevent any ,more the rotation of nut 35. Both winches are now driven at the same speed, because,

' when starting the hoisting winch motor 155 the winding 17 3 of the electromagnetic clutch A is energized, thereby attracting its core B and coupling bothV worms 24 and 33 respectively. `Therefore the grab, from which the material has been discharged, is lifted with its jaws spread apart. Upon itsV arrival in its uppermost position the switch drum is rotated one step into the position, in which it supplies current to the driving motor. The trolley returns to its starting point, where it is arrested by throwing the starting switch into inoperativeY position. Now the empty grab must be lowered on the material. For this purpose the switch drum is again rotated one step.k The connections are the same as has been described before, except that the con-V tacts' are' disposed in such a wav," that the direction of the current in both motors 155 and 165 is the reverse, so that the motors are lnow driven in the opposite direction and both ropes are unwound.A VThe switch lever 171 is still on contact eZ, so that also in this case the electromagnetic clutch A attracts' its core B and couples both worms vthe hoi'stingrope, solenoid 154, wire 153,

brush 152, contacts'191, 159, brush16() and to the track rail or to the ground. The-inov tor 155 is started in opposite direction, the

hoisting rope is wound up and thereby closes the jaws of the grab. The gear Z, which is mounted on the shaft e, drives the gear wheel m,- the shaft 37 and its pin 36 rotate, so that the latter moves the nut35 from its position shown in dotted lines into its original position, whereby the switch lever 171 is again turned from contact Z to contact 0. Thereby a second circuit is made for the current, which passes from brush 106 over contacts 150, 192, to brush 175, wire 174, winding 173 of the electromagnetic clutch A, wire 17 2, switch lever 171, contact c, wire 170, brush 200, contacts `193, 194, brush 167,

wire 166, motor 165 of the-spreading rope,

solenoid 164, wire 163,.brush 162, contacts 195, 159, brush 160, and to the track rail or to ,the ground. The motor 1650i" the spreading-rope-isnow likewise started and winds up the spreading rope. r1`he electromagnetic clutch A, B couples the worm shafts e' and it, so that the hoisting rope and the spreading rope are uniformly wound up. The charged grab is lifted and the'switch drum can be set on the position indicated traveling forward, whereby ,the driving motor is started in opposite direction and the trolley travels with the charged grab back to the place of discharge.

We claim:

1. An operating device for a grab, comprising` a hoisting winch withV a cable from which the grab is suspended, a discharging winch with a cable controlling the opening and closing of the grab scoops, operating 'gearing for each winch, a hoisting motor for both gearings, a coupling between each gearing and said motor, electromagnetic means fory actuating each of said couplings separately, a source of electric suppl said electromagnetic means and said motor being in the circuit of said source, a main switch for controlling the direction of the current in said circuit and an automatic switch in the circuit, said automatic switch being actuated by said gearings 1n such a manner that it will be set in readiness for the next step of operation of the device.

2. An operating device for a grab7 comprising a hoisting winch with a cabley from which the grab is suspended, a discharging winch with a cable controlling the opening and closing oi' the grab scoops, operating gearing ttor each winch, a hoisting motor for both gearings, a. coupling between each gearing and said motor, electromagnetic means for actuating eachnof said couplings separately, a source of electric supply, said electromagnetic means and said motor being in the circuit .of said source, a main switch for controlling the direction of the current in said circuit and an automatic switch in the circuit, said automatic switch comprising a threaded revoluble member positively driven by one of said gearings, a nut on said revoluble member similarly driven by the other one of `said gearings and a lever` @epica of this patent may be obtained for ve centsk cach, by addressing the Commissioner o1'. .Patents Washington, D. C. 

